Today, multiple updates, this is the fourth one.
Shion had requested the ability to detect lies. Indeed, it would be a useful power.
If you could tell when someone was lying, you wouldn’t be fooled even if they tried to deceive you.
Even if someone appeared kind on the surface but had ulterior motives, you would be able to see through them.
It would be very helpful for social life, but it might also make you distrustful of people.
What I wondered was whether she wanted to take that ability with her to the desert island.
But after a bit of thought, I came to a possibility.
――Shion might have chosen her ability with the idea of being sent to a desert island with a group of people.
Without a teacher to keep order, forty teenagers would be left to their own devices on a desert island.
It would be difficult to expect them to follow the laws and morals of Japan.
If you had the ability to discern the truth of someone’s words, you could navigate the group dynamics and detect crises well. But if that’s the case——
“Did Shion have the class transfer in mind at that point?”
She smiled at my words.
“You’re flattering yourself. It’s more like thanks to you.” “Me?”
“In reality, reading the room or trying to be funny isn’t a bad thing. That’s part of social skills. But at that time, everyone thought it was just a dream.” “Yeah.” I nodded.
“So it was a situation where we didn’t need social skills and should have just been ourselves. But a lot of students gave silly answers or were satisfied with the usual stuff. They didn’t think deeply. They just went along with the flow. I think that’s dangerous.”
It’s great if you can consciously use social skills when needed.
But if you get used to conforming to your surroundings, you might not be able to make your own judgments in situations where you should.
“Sou didn’t read the room at that time.”
Chiyu’s words made Shion look happy as she said, “That’s right!”
“Since it was a dream, you could have answered seriously without reading the room. But only you were the one to do that. And you even got the other kids to think about their abilities by saying it out loud. I thought that was amazing.”
I felt embarrassed and a bit uncomfortable being looked at with admiration.
“It’s not that big a deal… and besides, it was Shouko who started the process of getting everyone to think about their abilities.” “No, it’s not that big a deal~” Shouko looked embarrassed and happy.
Maybe I should be this honest too.
「Yeah, that’s right. Kousuke-kun is the person who took the first step, and Shouko-chan is the one who made the subsequent flow happen, so both of them are amazing. Also, Senyuu-chan, who drew out Kousuke-kun’s ability with words.」
「Indeed, if Senyuu hadn’t spoken to me, I would’ve just thought about it in my head.」 “Childhood friend teamwork”
Senyuu emphasized the part about being childhood friends.
「By the way, when I just now said that Kousuke-kun was thinking in his head, that’s actually quite effective.」
Shion’s words sounded like they were filled with conviction.
「So, Shion didn’t actually say what she would do out loud, did she?」
「As expected of Kousuke-kun, you noticed that much.」
Shion put her hands together in front of her chest and said in a tone of admiration.
「What’s going on? What’s going on? Explain it to me like I’m five!」 Shouko was confused.
「Well, in that dream, a lot of people were saying out loud what they wanted, right?」
「Yeah. Isn’t everyone like that?」
「Not everyone. I couldn’t confirm it for everyone, but there were people who didn’t open their mouths until the end.」 「Huh? Really?」
「Yeah. Besides, the blackboard only said, ‘If you could take one thing to a desert island? ’ It didn’t specify how to answer, so I figured there weren’t any restrictions on how we responded.」
「Huh, you two actually thought that far ahead in that situation?」 Shouji seemed a little taken aback.
「Well, I started thinking it was weird halfway through, and I don’t mind thinking about what-if scenarios, so I got a little into it.」
「I see? So what if you don’t say it out loud?」
「Earlier, Shion said that if you wished for two things, only the first one would be granted. You can’t change your answer, right?」 「Yeah.」
「Then what if you decided on a power or something first, and then just said something random like ‘knife’ in the dream?」
「Hmm? …Oh! So when you run into the kid who heard you on the island, they’ll misunderstand your power?」
Shouji seemed to have thought about it and realized something.
「That’s right, Shou-chan. If you say you dropped the knife or something, you could get away with it. And if it’s a consumable item, you can just say you used it up.」
「Wow, a strategy to deceive your classmates? I mean, there are bad people in the world, but still.」
Shouji couldn’t seem to imagine someone planning something so devious from the start of that dream.
「Haha… It’s not like I was trying to deceive anyone, but I did keep my answer a secret from everyone, so it kind of stings a little.」
「Yashiko-chan, you didn’t do anything wrong. You have the right to not say things you don’t want to.” “Thank you, Yashiko-chan.” “…But, Yashiko.” “What is it, Shiho-chan?”
“I’m not blaming you for when you revealed your power. But ever since we met, you’ve been using your power on Sou-kun. Isn’t that right?”
When Shiho spoke, Shion looked apologetic and bowed to me.
“Yeah, that’s right. Yashiko-chan seems to trust me, but I wasn’t really close to her, so I was worried. I’m sorry for testing you.”
“No, it’s fine. If it was just Shion, I would have been more cautious. Trying to adapt to the situation with your power is natural. There’s no need to apologize.”
Besides, I haven’t revealed everything my powers can do either.
“…Thank you. You’re really kind, Kousuke-kun.”
Maybe Shion is still using her power right now.
Since she realized I wasn’t really angry, she widened her eyes slightly.
“I don’t mind hiding things, but Yashiko said people usually get mad when they find out someone’s lying, so I kept quiet. I’m sorry, Kousuke.”
“So, I’m not angry. But then, I guess that means we’re even now. How about you, Shiho?” “I don’t mind, but I have some concerns.” “What is it?”
Shiho remained expressionless, covering her mouth as if she were holding back tears.
「Thinking about how all of So-kun’s obvious lies are about to be exposed, it’s so pitiful, so pitiful.」
「Hey, what do you mean by obvious lies?」
「Like when you look at someone’s chest and say, ‘I didn’t see anything,’」 「Okay, I won’t comment on that.」
Shouko laughed brightly and Shi-on giggled at my conversation with Chiyu, lightening the mood.
Still, Chiyu is right.
I’ll have to be careful about speaking my mind, knowing that Shi-on will see through my lies.
「So, Sōsuke-kun, Senyuu-chan, will you let us join you?」
「Sōsuke! Let us join you! If you do, Mashiro will come too! She’s fluffy!」
Senyuu and I looked at each other and nodded.
Then we turned to them and said, 「Of course, we welcome you.」
And so, we became a group of four.
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So (??) I still have updates planned for today.
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